We're more than just a hire — we're Pioneers
How does EP select the right talent - and what makes a Pioneer a Pioneer?
It all starts with recruiting talent you wouldn’t otherwise have access to: leaders with diverse personal and professional backgrounds from across the country, who have a passion to help create equity and opportunity for students wherever their expertise is needed. After we’ve recruited thousands of talented professionals from a myriad of sectors, our applicants complete an exhaustive admissions and vetting process, which ensures you’re hiring talent with the skills and experience to exceed the expectations of your role -- plus the mindsets to support transformation in your organization.
How the EP Admissions Process Works
Our admissions team spends an average of five hours vetting every qualified candidate for our Fellowship to ensure we present you with candidates ready to succeed in your role. Here’s how it works:
Candidates for Fellowships on the short-term Summer Fellowship complete the following process:
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Online Application Candidates submit personal and academic information, work history, a resume, and a short answer expressing their interest in education |
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References Candidates submit at least two professional references |
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In-depth Interview Candidates complete a one-on-one interview lasting up to 60 minutes with an EP staff member or Alumnus/a to talk more about their professional skills and expertise, leadership qualities, and interest in education |
Candidates for Fellowships on the longer term Impact Fellowship complete the following process:
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Online Application Candidates submit personal and academic information, work history, a resume, and a short answer expressing their interest in education |
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References Candidates submit at least two professional references |
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Work Exercise Candidates complete a 90-minute performance task, allowing EP to further assess their functional skills |
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In-depth Interview Candidates spend up to an hour with an EP Alumnus/a talking about their professional skills and expertise, leadership qualities, and interest in education |
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Group Interview Candidates attend an in-person or virtual interview to interact with EP staff and Alumni, and get a taste of EP programming |
What We Look For Throughout Our Admissions Process
1 | Priority Experience Areas
We focus recruitment on emerging leaders who have skills and experiences in the four areas our partners tell us they need the most: data and analysis, strategy and planning, operations, and program and project management.
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| Data and Analysis | Strategy and Planning | Operations | Program and Project Management |
Based on the roles our Partners submit to us, we also seek Fellows with other skills such as marketing and communications, or policy development.
2 | Functional Competencies
We partnered with EdFuel to define functional competencies by level for candidates in each of our priority areas. We’re proud of the rigorous rubric we’ve build to help find the right candidates for your role. We use the rubric throughout the admissions and vetting process to determine:
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Ability to complete job responsibilities: Our rubric enables us to identify specific competencies that a candidate has demonstrated. For example, let’s say our candidate is ready to take on a mid-level data analysis role. Using our rubric throughout the admissions and vetting process, we would ask, can the candidate lead a small team within a data/analytics department to oversee projects and daily activities? Can the candidate monitor a project or department budget, in addition to team management responsibilities?
- Experience level: How many years of experience does a candidate have, and what kind of leadership experience is the candidate ready to take on? For example, would a candidate be more of a fit for a mid-level manager job, or a mid-to-senior level director position?
Throughout the vetting process, we look for leadership competencies that indicate a candidate will succeed in -- and help transform -- the high-pressure, ever-changing education sector.
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LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES: We look for evidence of leadership competencies and demonstration of ability to: communicate clearly and concisely; identify a need, and create a vision and plan to solve the problem; and show resiliency in accomplishing goals in fluctuating work environments. We also look for evidence of a growth mindset that drives a candidate’s desire to build skills and learn continuously, plus a self-awareness about strengths, weaknesses, cultural worldviews and other behaviors that affect interpersonal relationships.
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PHILOSOPHICAL ALIGNMENT: We also seek candidates who understand the lack of equitable access to high-quality education for all students, and demonstrate a clear commitment to Education Pioneers’ mission and core values (courage, optimism, collaboration, action, people focused, transformation -- and diversity, equity, and inclusion). |
EP believes that transformative leaders aren’t born, they’re made. We recruit and connect you with candidates who have the foundations of transformative leadership, and then we help develop them into leaders who will make a positive impact within your organization.